LISTEN TO EVERYTHING THAT HAS EVER BEEN MUSICIZED BY RICK BARR

Playing one track will auotmatically play the rest, in order, so you can enjoy the playlist! You may also right-click the Play icon for each song to download it.

Spiderman (Mar 2004) - Nick wanted to do a song about Spiderman, one of his favorite comic book heroes. He wanted me to do all the music, but he was very instrumental in telling this fascinating tale of Spiderman's first (and perhaps last) encounter with Doc Ock, the villian who will be featured in the new Spiderman movie. He wanted rock and roll, and he got it. Enjoy!

Daddy's Afternoon (Mar 2004) - Listen to Katie and her dad's first ever song! I played the guitar and sang while Katie played her recorder, something she just started playing this month and is obviously very good at. This song is about how much fun we have when we get to have time alone, what Katie calls her "Daddy's Afternoon". Enjoy!

Sounds From The Abyss - Just doing some effects with the 4-track, but the guitar part is actually the basis of "Sick", from the album "Take It Away".

A Little Bit Me - Cover of the Monkees' "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You".

Diarrhea du Turtle - A hilarious duo with Kelli, with her actually providing the low-register "SPAM" outbursts. This is another one where the guitar part ended up becoming a song on "Take It Away". This one is called "10 Miles Over".

Fly Away - I composed and recorded this song in about 45 minutes, after my daughter Katie showed me a picture she drew of her stuffed bunny flying away with a bunch of balloons. You never know where inspiration will strike. This was done sometime in 2001. Click here to see the original picture that provided the spark.

Superman - An ode to the greatest superhero ever! Inspired by playing the old Atari 2600 version of the Superman game.

Dueling Banjos - I think it's self explanatory.

Scotch & Soda - A rendition of this tune done by Kelli and my dad, specifically so they could dance to it at Kelli's wedding. Dad played guitar and they both sang. It turned out great, and I was happy to let them do all the performing while I mixed it in the background.

"I Can't Explain" - This was The Who's first hit, and was one of the songs responsible for getting me excited about rock and roll for the first time (it's a short list). One interesting note is that the backup vocals were session musicians, and the lead guitar solo is Jimmy Page, so there is less of the band than one would expect. It's probably a good thing their vocal talents were as good as they were, otherwise they may not have been so great. I don't think there is a single Who song that does not contain harmonies of some kind.

"Tommy, Can You Hear Me" - When I found my parents' "Tommy" album, this was one of the songs I was transfixed by. The guitar playing was nice and smooth, and of course, the harmonies were perfect. I will be honest and say that this is probably my 10th best cover song out of the 10 presented here. It's likely a combination of my voice not being quite as good as theirs, and the fact that the song is so vocal-driven, it probably would have been a good idea to find at least one other person to help out (yes, Kelli, I hear your cries).

"Happy Jack" - This is the only song that I took any real liberties on. I was listening to it a lot in my car during the winter of '06 and for some reason started singing it the way you hear now. After several iterations of it, I was having so much fun with it, there was no way I was going to be able to sing it "normal". For the record, the "laughing" parts nearly tore my throat out. I was raw for several days afterward. However, you do still have a nice contrast with the "la-la" backup vocals, so not everything has been tampered with.

"Pinball Wizard" - Everybody knows that this has always been the #1 Who song for me. Fascinated with the guitar playing at age 13, I truly believe it was this song that set me on the road to becoming the rythym guitarist that I am, eschewing dramtic lead playing or much of anything that required nimble fingerwork. I have always been happier forming chords with my left hand and jamming with my right. There was no way I could leave this one off the list when I finally decided I was going to move forward with the album.

"A Quick One, While You're Here" - If you have listened to all of these in order, grab a beverage or snack before you start this one, for its length is nearly that of the last four songs combined. This is considered The Who's "mini-opera", and Townshend himself has allowed the idea that it is about Tommy's parents. Basically, a guy is sent off to war and promises his girl that he'll be back soon. However, he is gone longer than expected, and she is depressed. Her friends try to help by providing a "remedy", an old engine driver named Ivor. They get together, but are caught in the act when the boyfriend comes home. The girl professes her love for him, he forgives her, and you have a happy ending.

"There's A Doctor" - From "Tommy", this is as short as a song can get, but I've always liked it. The piano goes down an octave for the second verse, which in the original recording sounded very nice. The harmonies work pretty well here too.

"I'm Free" - Another all-time favorite from "Tommy". This is simply a good rocker and includes a bit from "Pinball Wizard" at the end. I was tempted to start it with the riff from the movie version, but felt I should keep it simple.

"Substitute" - I learned the guitar part on this when I was a teenager, always had fun playing it. I added a little harmony in a couple spots where I thought it would work, but other than that, it's another attempt at a true copy. Here, as well as a few others, I'm able to use a tambourine to flesh out the drums a bit. I always like to use as many real instruments or devices as I can.

"You Better You Bet" - "A Quick One" may have been longer, but this one ended up being the real monster. Right from the start, there is a synth loop that I had to recreate. I haven't gotten into doing loops at all, so I had to go ahead and play it for a minute or so. Then there were two other keyboard parts, piano, both acoustic and electric guitars, lots of vocals, and crazy drums.

"We Got A Hit" - Only the most die-hard Who fans will know this one, because it is on "Endless Wire", the album they released in 2006. This song is a quickie, but is mine and Tamara's favorite. There is a longer version, but I decided to go with the short one since it won't be as recognized (and because it was the last one I completed, and I was ready to be done!).

"Jumpin' Jack Flash" by The Rolling Stones - Everyone has heard this classic song. But do you know it well enough to notice that the first line isn't what it should be? This happened because any time Kelli used to attempt to sing the song, she could never remember how it started. Quickly covering up this deficiency, she would craftily sing, "I was born in a half-pint liquor store" instead of, "I was born in a cross-fire hurricane". This song was done largely because of that hilarious mistake. It did turn out well, as she made up for it by providing good harmonies.

"Rainbow Connection" by Kermit the Frog - Okay, Kermit didn't write this one, but he did make it famous. This is the tune my kindergarten class sung at our 1981 graduation ceremony, and it has always been a favorite. It also allowed Kelli to play piano. This is also the song we chose to do for Tamara. My favorite part about doing this song is watching people's reaction to the opening lyrics, as they try to understand exactly who is singing. I think I did a passable imitation of my green buddy, others say it's great. Either way, I like acting like a muppet.

"Tuesday Afternoon" by The Moody Blues - This one is for our dad, who loves listening to and playing Moody Blues songs on his guitar (us Barr's have talent virtually dripping from our pores). I may cover other 'Blues tunes in the future, but this was a good one to start with. Listening to it now, I know I could improve the sounds a great deal by employing my newfound mixing knowledge, as the echo-less vocals don't quite match up to Justin Hayward's (well, no amount of mixing is going to do that).

"The Ocean" by Led Zeppelin - I wasn't about to let this whole "cover album" thing happen without covering some of my favorite artists. Granted, it's difficult to imitate Robert Plant, but we went with it. I was inspired to choose this one after listening to "How The West Was Won", an excellent CD/DVD package full of live material the band did at their peak. There is a slightly different drum beat used in certain parts that really caught my ear, and I had to use it. Overall, it could have used a lot more of a charge, as it doesn't ever have enough energy. At least, not for my tastes. So, consider this to be the mildest cover of a hard rock song you'll ever hear from me.

"Pretty Little Angel Eyes" by Curtis Lee - I have a whole cassette tape of '50's songs, and this is one that Kelli and I both thought was a lot of fun. I think it's the most challenging one vocally because there were so many different voices to listen to and figure out exactly what they were doing. We did a good job here, and I think we more or less nailed the vocals.

"If I Fell" by The Beatles - This one is for mom, but was also one of our favorites anyway, so it was fun to do. This is one of the best on the CD.

"Soma" by The Strokes - This entry helped us span six decades of music, from the 1950's to the 2000's. I'm very interested in a lot of these new bands that are playing simple rock songs. No pretentious crap that's supposed to be super deep and meaningful. The songs are about whatever they need to be, then they move on. This was our favorite from what we had to choose from, and our vocals are working great together.

"Mellow Yellow" by Donovan - I can't recall exactly what drew us to this one, but I do remember really liking Mellow Yellow the drink when I was a kid. That's a good enough reason for anything. This was a difficult one to get down right for some reason, both the music and vocals.

"My Uncle Used To Love Me But She Died" by Roger Miller - K-Tel records made our childhoods much more fun. In 1976, they released "Kooky Tunes", a collection of over two dozen funny, silly songs. We used to listen to them a lot, and this particular one always made us crack up. The absurdity of the title itself was funny enough, but the entire song is a gem. Kelli does a couple weird things at the end to cap it off.

"Blackbird" by The Beatles - This was one of the first songs I learned on guitar and have always loved it. The first few notes even inspired one of the very first songs I wrote with John Biggs, called "A Storybook Life". That one was a good song in itself, and whenever I play it for Tamara, she tears up. I'd like to think it's because of my fantastic rendition, not because she's afraid I'll get sued for copyright infringement. "Blackbird" has always been one that I have wanted to cover, but my vocals were never good for it. I just happen to have a singing sister, so.....yeah.

"Zilch" by The Monkees - I doubt many people have ever heard this one. It was on the one album that they actually wrote and performed their own songs on. This is just plain weird, and one of those that mom used to play for us when we were kids. Of course, we'd have fun trying to do each do our "part". I'm not so sure we did the original much justice, but it was fun to try.

"Rhythm Section Want Ad" by They Might Be Giants - This is for Dan, by a rather obscure band that he and Kelli listen to. I had never heard the song before, but figured I'd give it a shot. The drums were a monster to reproduce, but once that was done, it turned into a fun song. Kelli's vocals have a different tone to them, something she needs to try to do more often. I have a feeling we'll be dabbling in more obscurities in the future. Don't ever say we didn't try to broaden your horizons!

"Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival - This one sucked, only because Kelli wasn't involved in it at all. She says she didn't mind, but I actually did. I work on my own stuff all the time, including a few covers. But I really wanted to do the vocals, and we couldn't figure out anything for her to do. I won't ever de-collaborate a collaboration again!

"You Learn" by Alanis Morrisette - This is Kelli's best effort by far. She doesn't sound like Alanis, but pretty much turns the song into her own, it's a really good performance. All of my music faded into the background, becoming a backdrop to her voice.

"No Time" by The Guess Who - We used to sing the ending to this really crazy, it was always fun to mess around with it. We pretty much had to cover it. We included a couple weird moments as well as the ending, making it an appropriate prelude to the last song.

"Wanna Be Startin' Something" by Michael Jackson - This ties in directly with the Christmas Eve 1986 tape. It's what is playing in the background as Kelli and I start to fight. When I first approached Kelli with the idea of doing this song, she wasn't convinced. She agreed to do it, but couldn't see how we could pull it off. Well, I had some "special" ideas for it. I managed to get a good sound for the music part, and my vocals on the final cut were actually my first, sung very casually, as I was simply testing. When Kelli heard them, however, she insisted that we keep them. Then she did hers and let herself get a little wacky. Then came the best part. I put clips from the old tape into the song. Not only did it work pitch-wise, but these moments blend perfectly with the vocals. The whole thing is hilarious. You would never know what the Hell was going on in it if you didn't know.....um......well, right, of course you wouldn't. But if you're reading this, listen to the song and you'll know what's going on. I think it confuses people who know us because they never believe that mine is one of the voices. But I had just turned 12 and my voice wouldn't start changing for another month. SO SUE ME, you little........

"I Will" by The Beatles - Done with Kelli for mine and Tamara's wedding.

"Rainbow Connection" by Kermit the Frog - A redo of the first cover, done specifically for the wedding. This one is much better.

"Take It Away" - The title track is about perseverance through hard times. It could go with anything, although I was thinking about sports when i wrote it, particularly running. I didn't use the drum software for this one, just my pick against the guitar strings for a more generic backbeat.

"Can You Change My Mind?" - This was one of the first songs I wrote specifically for this album. It's about a guy who is leaving his woman after a lot of disillusionment, and he's asking if there is anything else she has to say before he finally leaves. In the back of my mind, I knew he was going to be leaving no matter what. I used a light effect for the guitar, kept the bass simple. I wanted to do that to allow the lyrics to shine a bit, since it's rare when I actually put together thoughts that make sense for a song.

"Sick" - I think this is pretty obvious. A guy wakes up hung over (again), misses work, gets fired, and realizes he's in big trouble. It's upbeat though, no need to cry for this old bum. He sounds like he'll be just fine. It may sound like an electric guitar, but it's just my 6-string with an effect. Obviously, I was really wanting to plug it into something.

"Green Fire" - This is a favorite of Tamara's, and mine. The drum beat is not exactly an original, though I did wrap my own song around it. I got it from an acoustic version of a song from the Rolling Stones' "Exile On Main St" album. I won't say which one. I need to retain some kind of mystery.

"Say My Name" - I finally used my 12-string, and was very happy with this song. It's trying to comfort someone who's alone, but she can always say his name to feel comforted. Must be a really swell name, like Mookie or something. I really wish I had thought to start using harmonies in my vocals, because this one could have been much better.

"EasyBeat" - The "sequel" to the version on "The Second Ten", not much in the music changes, I just added lyrics. It's about love. Again. I would tire of this theme eventually. There's only so many ways you can musically pine for someone.

"The Scratch" - This is an electric guitar. I used my dad's Gibson Les Paul. I had been playing around with it one day and stumbled into this tune. I had to record it immediately. It's a bit different, just how I like 'em.

"Room For Two" - Since my first album had brought us together, I had to write a song for Tamara to go on my next one. It talks about how I surprised I was to have discovered her, and how much I wanted to keep her once she was here. This is one of the very best pieces of guitar music I've ever written. I never liked the bass line, but everything else was good.

"Ten Miles Over" - Oddly enough, this is about God. Someone knowing they're dying, and going towards the light. After I had written the guitar part but before I did the rest, Kelli and I got together one night and recorded "Diarrhea Du Turtle", found elsewhere on this page. As hilarious as that was, I couldn't let what I thought was another very good piece of guitar work be abused like that. So I wrote this, and it's one of the more fun songs to play every now and then.

"Where Do We Begin?" - This is the first song I completed for this album, and the first 12-string song I wrote. Again, it's about love. I like it a lot, and was glad kept it simple, just the guitar and me.

"Whistler" - I believe this was the first set of lyrics I wrote for this album. It's kind of a tribute to John Entwhistle, the bassist of The Who who died on the eve of their summer concert in 2002. We saw the concert, and it was great, but I knew it was missing something. Actually, the first verse didn't make a whole lot of sense, but it catches up with itself later.

"If You Want To" - This contains one of the better bass lines I've written. I had been planning on this one for quite a while. It's too bad I sang horribly on it. I kept wanting to sing a bit higher, but I never had the guts. This one is about a guy who has to leave, his girl has been demanding certain questions be answered, generally being a nuisance. He responds by inviting her along, if she can accept him for who he is.

"Follow It" - This was the first song I completed for the album. I know, it's a bit confusing, but the songwriting/recording process isn't very linear most of the time. This guy is telling everyone to follow him, because he's very enlightened and can help them. Sounds like a God complex of some sort, a la "Tommy".

"Got To Change" - This is a blusey number I had first written back around 1996 or so. I'd been playing for a long time, and it was time to do something with it.

"Two Leaves" - This is my first attempt at doing anything serious with piano. I had never written anything for it, and I think I was just messing around on my parents' when this came about. It's using about us much playing ability as I can muster, but it seemed to work out nicely. The title comes from the idea that piano keys are ivory, and that led to leaves.....and there are two instruments here.

"Worse Than Before" - This one started out as a more ambitious project than what it became. I think the "electric" part doesn't quite work with it, but otherwise it was good. The guy is lamenting a bad relationship, going over the "what if's". He's bitter. And that's just how we'll stay.

"7 Spaces" - Hmmm, no lyrics to this one. That must mean some obscure reason for the song title. Well, I finished this one in 2003. I had started playing the guitar part seven years earlier, in 1996. Sometimes, being able to work with the really old ones is the most fun. Plus, it was already "different", and after doing so many love songs, I needed it.

"Annetta" - Here's the J.R. Comics tune. I kept the first verse intact ((c) 1992), but the others I re-wrote. This was the only song from high school that I ever tried to put a bass line to, so it seemed natural to let it grow here.

- "Cold In A" - The song was written in A major. There you go. I wanted to close the album with a "bang". This was about as big a bang as I could muster, given the instruments I had. It's also a lot of fun to play and, like "Green Fire", uses a type of drum kit that I had only recently discovered in my software, one that made things sound a whole lot better than what I had been using.

"Bad Times" - So, this is the first song from my first album. It happens to still be one of my favorites. Faux-bass sound aside, I've always liked the slow build-up and the middle section. I suppose it goes on a bit without any words. However, even though I now acknowledge that most songs are better with lyrics, my heart remains with instrumental pieces. Toss your prejudices about vocals aside and listen to the music!

"Offbeat" - This, along with many other songs on this album, is named for what I felt it was about when I first thought it up. If a tune brought any kind of clear picture into focus, that was usually going to be what I named it. Other than that, the names have no rhyme or reason. This one is called "Offbeat" because you tend to expect a different beat from the way the guitar starts off. But it shifts a little, and.....there you go.

"A Little Kiss" - This is by far everyone's favorite track. It's probably the best as far as the lyrics go, and actually tells a story, a somewhat light-hearted tale of rejection. Not exactly heartbreak, but enough to sting just a little. Writing a song like this helps the titles make sense too. What a bonus!

"Mononucleosis" - Why the title? I think I simply liked the word. This was something I had first developed in 1999. In fact, there used to be a little video of me playing it while Kelli sings weird stuff in the background, but I think it's gone. Three similar verses, but each one gets a little more involved.

"Zesty" - Definitely one of the best tracks here. I always imagined some Spanish singer providing vocals for it for some reason. Alas, I don't know any singing Spaniards. It works well enough without words.

"Express" - This one is about the stresses of the commute to and from work. After a long day, the guy just wants a break, but his woman wants attention. So he tells her how it is.....on the Express. Maybe there's an epilogue to this song where the woman stops talking and brings him a beer, but.....I doubt I'd live through it.

"Running Around" - I love this one. I may redo it now that I have better instruments. As I added parts to the main guitar riff, I ended up with three compatible sections that each had their own sound. It reminded me of "Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin (no, I'm not comparing myself to them at all), as that song does something similar. This is also fun to play the main guitar part on simply because it's a good rhythm.

"Sticky Situation" - This is a rather long tune, and could have used some vocals or at least other instruments. Boy, the things I could do to it now. This one was inspired specifically by a Zeppelin song, "Achilles' Last Stand". Most people who gave me feedback liked it in general, but said it dragged.

"Surprise" - This was the first song done for the album, and first lyrics I wrote. It's about a very bad day for a guy who can't seem to keep from staying out all night partying. His woman finally has enough, and he learns a lesson (maybe). I like the bass line here, and wish I hadn't had such an aversion to singing a high note every once in a while. I was mired in self-consciousness and wouldn't let loose at all. I've learned my own lessons from this thing.

"Quarters" - A nonsensical title for a rather obscure tune. I was trying for something different from a regular rhythm. I like it.

"A Single Note" - When I get around to doing my rock opera (it's a long way off, don't get all excited yet), this song is going to be the centerpiece of it. I don't know much about the scope of the album, but this particular song is about a couple lonely individuals, lost and unable to find their way to the person (or anything) they love. It isn't until the third stanza that they play a single note that resonates with them both, and they get together. The little jam session after that verse expresses the excitement and initial happiness they feel having found each other.

"Mellogie" - Sometimes the simplest songs can turn out to be the best. It's a very simple picking tune, and I still like playing it. The title comes from me liking the "melody" and.....well, I played it in "G".

"EasyBeat" - I had had this tune around for a while, and it's one of my favorites. I expanded it on the next album with lyrics and better playing.

"IdioRomp" - The title comes from the demo, which I played in a haphazard way, just flailing about. There was no structure to it, and that was fine with me.

"Tiny Fish" - This is by far the weirdest song I did. The lyrics are from two points of view, one from a mother trying to guilt her kids into staying with her after they're grown, the other from the kids who decided to leave anyway, and are now "free" from some sort of abusive control they were under. Yikes. Very strange. I loved the guitar on it, and never thought the words went with the music, but they merged anyway.

"Up & Down" - This is a lot of fun to play. The beginning is an afterthought, just something to make the whole thing different. The title comes from the fact that I play up and down the frets throughout the song.

"Everyone Loves Paul" - Is it too late to burn this from people's memories? I hate the lyrics and singing. I wrote it about nobody in particular, but then decided it could be about Paul McCartney. It's not a tribute, just a story about him in concert. The guitar work surpasses the vocals by far.

"Level 18" - This means nothing, it's just a somewhat upbeat diddy to enjoy while recovering from the last one. i tried my best to get an electric sound out of the 4-track's effects. I'm very glad I have a real one now.

"Foreign Girl With A Flower" - I fell in love with this one after I had written the two guitar parts. And for once, I sang in a higher register, for better or worse. It's simply an ode to an imaginary beauty.

"One Rider" - This was inspired by a commercial I saw featuring Lance Armstrong. I hate admitting that since I abhor most advertising, but the tune was catchy. It ended up being one of the better tunes I recorded, and the bass effect works best here.

"1994" - I wrote this in 1994.....what do you want from me, deep meaning?!? I never quite liked the weird effect I put on it, but to my surprise, most people liked it.

"Time's Running Out" - This is an update to a J.R. Comics song that John and I wrote in 1992. It was fun to add a bass line to it and develop the song more fully.

"Peanuts" - This one won't be on the CD, since I STOLE it. It's the Peanuts theme song, done on the guitar. I can think of a dozen ways to make this better, but it's still pretty cool as-is.

"Sleep" - The inspiration for the beginning chorus came from an old Who song. It's not an exact copy, but as soon as I heard their song, I began developing this one. In fact, I knew I wanted it to be "big", and it paved the way for a lot of the harmonies on this CD. I hadn't even considered doing harmonies before, and was excited to try it out. It would be nearly a year from the first ideas to getting them down on my 4-track, but there was no way I was going to forget it. I also knew that I had to make it the first track, to establish a presence and let the listener know they were in for something different. The lyrics are sparse compared to the music, but it talks about a mythical place where people chase rainbows. I never explored why, but there was certainly some power in them that kept them up at night. Of course, there never is an end to a rainbow, and these folks would spend years chasing after something they could never have. I suppose it's a slightly higher concept than my usual stuff and probably deserved more words, but.....I've always expressed myself better through the actual notes.

"Long Long Long" - The general tone of this one was inspired by an old Stones song, one that was never a hit, but is good nonetheless. The simple acoustic beginning leading to an intense burst caught my ear. The lyrics were written pretty easily. It starts with someone looking back at their childhood and wishing they could go back, but then realizing that things are just fine now, and in fact there are better things to look forward to.

"Walking The Dog" - Another tune that lay in waiting for many months, I decided at the last minute to play my 12-string. I had actually sat down with my 6-string to record, and suddenly decided I needed a change. It was a good change. No lyrics were needed, as the tune holds its' own, yet I was still concerned that people listening to it would drift off. It never really goes anywhere. But everyone liked it quite a bit, so I was pleasantly surprised. This was one of the first songs done for this album, and I was really starting to work my way around the drum software and be able to create sounds that were fully integrated with everything else.

"Under My Radar" - This is one of the best songs on this album. I played in a style I hadn't before, and sang the same. This is T's song, and it's about us being so close to meeting, yet so far away. We were only a blog message apart, but incredible circumstances had to happen in order to make it a reality. The song follows no particular structure. A couple verses, some kind of bridge, then an ending that's kind of a verse, but not.

"Seeing Me Drive" - I thought this one up during some of my many long drives to my main job, which at the time was 50 miles away. I had always played this as a quiet song, but suddenly liked the idea of a driving beat that would carry it. This is another one that I thought wasn't one of my best, but some said it stayed in their heads, which is always a good thing.

"Just To Hang (Around With Me)" - There are fewer "love" songs on this album, and for good reason: songs like this pushed them out of the way. It's told from the point of few of a guy who has tired of his girl and is breaking up with her in a harsh way. She needs to pack up and leave now, and he wants nothing more to do with her. From the sounds of it, she may even deserve it, but the exact reasons are left vague. I still cherish the first line, I think it's one of the best I've written so far.

"She's Over It" - If you play this and the previous track together, they tell a story. In fact, the ending of #6 rolls right into this one. However, we now have the girl's point of view, as she's walking home in the cold from her encounter. Again, reasons and faults are vague, all we see is that as she walks, she is eventually able to hold her head up high. My dad contributed the rhythm guitar here, making it the first time we have collaborated on a musical recording.

"Flight of the Canyon" - The title means absolutely nothing here. I just wanted to use my electric guitar for some nice rock and roll. One of my favorites.

"Julia" - When I first played the guitar for this, I loved it, and played it all the time. I actually wrote the first few lines long before I recorded anything, and then finished the song based on that over a year later. It ended up being about a whore who has a bad day on the job, and in the end gives it up. See, not all my songs can be happy little trees.

"Everybody" - Another biting look at rejection. I guess I needed to cancel out some of the love, because the lyrics for a song like this probably could have easily gone the sappy route. I had originally written everything on guitar, but since I want to explore as many avenues as possible, tried it out on piano, and then of course the many ideas of guitars, harmonies, different styles started filling my mind, and it ended up being a very good song. Yet another one where I sing a couple verses, then simply let the music go. I liked the last line of this one just as much as the first in "Just To Hang".

"High Fives" - My daughter helped me with this one. I was playing my guitar when she sat down and started a rhythm with a pen and a book. I started playing this song, recorded a quick demo of it, and later refined it into what you hear. But I didn't want to refine it too much. I liked the idea of a generic sounding beginning moving into a fast, clean section before coming back down again. I even used a pen and notebook for the early percussion.

"Little Miss Hero" - This is one of my most ambitious projects. It's based on Metroid, the old Nintendo video game, where at the end, it's revealed that the hero is a girl. She kicks ass in this song, and at the end, you get to hear a variation of the actual Metroid theme song. I did this part with my grandma's electric keyboard. The space effects were done with a little Smarties soundmaker that came packaged in a pack of candy that Kelli brought me from her trip to Rome. When I set out to be different, I never know where it will take me.

"A Better Tomorrow" - The chorus for this song was written by my friend Bryce nearly three years before I recorded this. I loved the words, and wrote my own verses and music around them. It turned into a very nice song. Yeah, it's a love song, too. If you like that kind of stuff, cherish it, because there might not be too many more of these anytime soon!

"A Yellow Place" - Here is our J.R. Comics tune. I did it because I always liked this one, and it's T's favorite color. Not many people remembered it when they heard it, but it wasn't one we played in public very much. Again, it was a lot of fun to "upgrade" an oldie.

"Hammersails" - What can I say? I was driving home from grandma's after recording the keyboards for "Little Miss Hero" when I started singing what ended up being the only vocals on this one. I had been close to wrapping up the album, but felt like I could have used more songs. When this one hit, I started laughing, knowing I could go absolutely nuts with it but still make it a really good song. It was done within three days. The vocals may be off-putting, but the main parts of the song are some of the best I've ever done. I feel like my knowledge of mixing, using the drum software, and composing came together really well here.

"Pleasant Valley Sunday" by The Monkees

"Sexy Sadie" by The Beatles

"Stuck In The Middle" by Steeler's Wheels

"Character Zero" by Phish

"Behind Blue Eyes" by The Who

"Greenback Dollar" by The Kingston Trio

"Sexy Sadie (blooper)" - Featuring Bob Dylan!

"Behind Blue Eyes Harmonies" - Every single harmony attempt recorded, good or bad, put together.

"Character Zero Ending" - A compilation of different abrupt endings.

"Pleasant Valley Sunday Stuff" - Various sound bites recorded while waiting for certain parts to come up.

"Pleasant Valley Sunday Ending" - Spontaneous nonsense.

"Greenback Dollar" - One take we almost got through.

"Surprise" - "Surprise" was the first song redone for this album, and the new life given to it was an inspiration to Rick the rest of the way. With a better understanding of how a couple dozen separate tracks could be merged into one great listening experience, he was ready to conquer the rest of them.

"Zesty" - Though shortened a bit, the new version doesn't stray much from the original's format. With a stronger beat, this one is easy to dance to.

"Bad Times" - The acoustic guitar rhythm was changed a bit, but other than that, the only major difference is a fuller sound.

"A Little Kiss" - Though the temptation to simply mimic the original was great, Rick decided to go a different direction, to something slower. It has an almost country feel to it.....or perhaps a waltz? Rick likes not being able to be pinned down to any one category, so he just writes what sounds good at the time. It keeps him fresh.

"Mononucleosis" - The song had always been divided into three equal, but proressively interesting parts. Rick decided to take it as far as he could go without destroying it. From a full minute of simple acoustic guitar to the end, with banging drums and electric-ness in the air, you get to hear a full evolution within a 3-minute song.

"Quarters" - Not wanting an obscure song to be lost any more, Rick tries saving it by adding a few instruments and providing a stronger beat.

"IdioRomp" - While most of the songs on the new album were refined, exapnded upon, and made "bigger", Rick knew that the heart of this one was in its generic structure. Wanting to get the most out of that idea, the only instrument he plugged in was the bass guitar. Everything else is natural, including the percussion section, in which a thick book and baking sheet were used for the main beat.

"Mellogie" - The full version is included here, simply because there were no improvements or changes done to it. It's essentially the same.

"A Single Note" - There was much room for improvement, and much was done, but the main structure of the song, with the acoustic guitar, was played exactly the same as the original. Everything else around it is new.

"Everyone Loves Paul" - Little has changed here, though Rick could have changed the hero of the song to something more appropriate, like "Pete", or "Jimmy".

"Level 18" - Knowing there was a really good song hidden inside the original, Rick turned it into a flat-out rock tune, keeping it short and sweet. It's definitely more memorable.

"Offbeat" - Pushing the idea a bit further, you'll get a few odd beats scattered throughout as the tone of the song changes. The piano really drives this one more than most.

"1994" - Wanting to get back to the basics of the song, he keeps the percussion fairly mellow and purposely leaves any kind of real structure out of it.

"One Rider" - Not much needed changed here. Sometimes it's good to keep it simple.

"Foreign Girl With A Flower" - Again, not much needed changed, just some enhancements around the edges.

"Express" - This one deserved to be a bit faster, since the idea was that the character was very stressed.

"EasyBeat" - Since there had already been another version, it was time to change the style of it. Both a 12 and 6-string were used (in different speakers), and the second verse picks up a bit.

"Running Around" - How do you imrpove a song that didn't need much to begin with? By keeping the same underlying idea and building on it in a completely different way. This one rocks.

Sticky Situation" - Cutting the length in half, Rick also chooses to go a completely different direction after you've become familiar with it. The use of drums here is unique and gives a lot of depth to the three instruments being used.

"Up & Down" - Justice prevails. This is exactly what Rick thought the song could be.

"Tiny Fish" - No song changed more than this one. Rick somewhat regretted leaving the fast-paced fun behind, but the oddball lyrics screamed for something different.....gospel, anyone?

"Dancin' On The Moon" - Since they never had any proper electric recordings from the past, Rick decided to go all out with this update and make it worthy of its potential.